Infection? What now?

[Luck 6]

I tried running a search... It seems there is a lot more information out there to identify an infection rather than what your supposed to do about it.

Ok, so week 3 of 250mg 2x per week test E... I've been rotating between both quads for injection sites back and forth.

The shot I did Sunday was a painful shot. Felt it going in and out quite bad which isn't common for me at all. Anyways it's not Wensday and my quad still hurts, theres redness surrounding the whole injection site, the muscle is a bit stiffer then it should be, and it's warmer to the touch.

Now to me this sounds like an infection. So what do I do now? Can I get something for it? Do I wait longer to see if it subsides?

Yesterday my leg was a lot stiffer, today it feels much loser but I don't think the redness has subsided; when I inject I take all the necessary precautions to ensure everything is sterile.

So ya... I wanna know what I can do about this, if anything; what's the next step?

One more thing, I've read countlessly you should switch injection sites as to not build up scar tissue... Nowhere is it mentioned WHY I don't want to build up scar tissue.. If I could get an answer there it would be great to.

 

[Trauma1]

Do you have a fever? Is it more painful to the touch each day? Has the area of redness expanded further outward from the injection site with each passing day? I would mark the area of erythema (redness) with a marker, and assess if it's moving outside the mark you've made.

If your answer to those questions is no, then i'd apply a warm compress to the area a few times a day.

In all honesty, without seeing the actual area of concern, it's impossible to make any kind of accurate judgement.

 

[Luck 6]

Re

Well it's a 5" by 3" area... So large enough haha...

Uh, well.. Originally I thought nothing of it, so I havn't tracked if it has increased day by day. I just drew some lines around it so I guess I'll see how that goes.

I don't think I have a fever... I feel a lil feverish right now after reading about infections haha but I didn't an hour ago.. I think that's a mental thing but will see.

Def a lil hotter in the red area tho... So what do you think?

I figure I'll wait it out till Friday... If that don't work goto the a clinic and tell him I snagged my leg on something on a construction site and now it's all red... I dunno haha that sound ok?

How serious can these infections get? If treated, I'm assuming I'm ok?

 

[crazyfool405]

Well it's a 5" by 3" area... So large enough haha...

Uh, well.. Originally I thought nothing of it, so I havn't tracked if it has increased day by day. I just drew some lines around it so I guess I'll see how that goes.

I don't think I have a fever... I feel a lil feverish right now after reading about infections haha but I didn't an hour ago.. I think that's a mental thing but will see.

Def a lil hotter in the red area tho... So what do you think?

I figure I'll wait it out till Friday... If that don't work goto the a clinic and tell him I snagged my leg on something on a construction site and now it's all red... I dunno haha that sound ok?

How serious can these infections get? If treated, I'm assuming I'm ok?

take a pic with your fone or camera, and post it and trauma could prolly help you out more. hes in the medical feild very smart dude. so maybe that can help him help you further.

 

[holyintellect]

Listen...Ive dealt with 3 people who've had abcesses...if you even remotely think you have one.....GET TO THE DOCTOR....he will need to give you a strong antibiotic like levaquin to take care of it....it will not get better on its own...one of my good friends has a scar on his quad that looks like he got bit by a freaking shark...get it taken care of.

holy

 

[crazyfool405]

Listen...Ive dealt with 3 people who've had abcesses...if you even remotely think you have one.....GET TO THE DOCTOR....he will need to give you a strong antibiotic like levaquin to take care of it....it will not get better on its own...one of my good friends has a scar on his quad that looks like he got bit by a freaking shark...get it taken care of.

holy

holy ,

what causes the abcess, ?

is it due to unsterile equitpment? unsterile procedure? combination of it?

whats the easiest way to avoid it?

 

[Knowbull]

Unreal! Go to the ER NOW!

 

[Trauma1]

Unreal! Go to the ER NOW!

Good god, i hope you're kidding? It's this mentality that drives the E.R. overcrowding that is reaching unprecedented levels. Unless it's an actual medical EMERGENCY, go see your primary doctor first.

 

[Trauma1]

And we know this is an abscess, how exactly? Without a physical assessment, that's absolutely impossible. If there is an expanding area of erythema from the site of entry (without a definitive area of induration or hardened mass), it's more supportive of an expanding cellulitis. Either way, attempting to make sense of this online is completely subjective at best.


Luck, if this is concerning to you, get in to see your primary doctor for a thorough eval. If it is indeed an abscess (and i'm NOT saying that it is), treatment with antibiotics such as bactrim or clindamycin will clear it up. Sometimes they do need to be incised and drained, however this is for significant abscess developments to enhance healing.

 

[dg806]

holy ,

what causes the abcess, ?

is it due to unsterile equitpment? unsterile procedure? combination of it?

whats the easiest way to avoid it?

It can be due to unsterile techniques. But some times, even with proper procedures, you can still get an abcess. That is why it is so important to keep everything clean and do it right the first time.

 

[holyintellect]

holy ,

what causes the abcess, ?

is it due to unsterile equitpment? unsterile procedure? combination of it?

whats the easiest way to avoid it?

It could be anything....it could be that the skin wasnt clean before the injection, it could be that the needle wasnt clean, it could be the gear, etc....Ive actually known guys who thought it was a good idea to wipe the needle down with an alcohol swab after using it so they could use it again...

holy

 

[crazyfool405]

It could be anything....it could be that the skin wasnt clean before the injection, it could be that the needle wasnt clean, it could be the gear, etc....Ive actually known guys who thought it was a good idea to wipe the needle down with an alcohol swab after using it so they could use it again...

holy

what about wiping it down before your pin.

 

[Luck 6]

Re

Well, there is no bump or anything... But the skin is rather hard.. I guess if it's not starting to get better by tomorrow I'll hit up the clinic. I don't have an actual doctor... I hope my excuse works.

 

[Knowbull]

They will know what caused it, you could die of sepsis overnight, go now!

 

[Luck 6]

I'm assuming Knowbull is trying to be funny, but you probably shouldn't be a jack*ss as I'm really not sure to what extent of that post is a 'joke'.

Soo... Will they know what caused it? Or what's a logical excuse? I assume saying I peirced my skin with a nail on a construction site was sufficient... No?

 

[Luck 6]

Damn.. Well I'm gonna go this morning... It looks like it's expanded, although it doesn't hurt near as much today and my muscle isn't as stiff... It's itchy.

I woulda liked my last question there answered, anyone? I'm just trying to figure out what to tell the doc

 

[crazyfool405]

Damn.. Well I'm gonna go this morning... It looks like it's expanded, although it doesn't hurt near as much today and my muscle isn't as stiff... It's itchy.

I woulda liked my last question there answered, anyone? I'm just trying to figure out what to tell the doc

well hes gotta treat you no matter what, so with that said i think best bet is to tell him the truth. .... i duno if he would buy the, "oh, i walked into a nail on a construction site." the puncture would be bigger.

 

[holyintellect]

what about wiping it down before your pin.

No need to...the syringe is already sterile out of the pack...do not wipe it down with alcohol.

holy

 

[holyintellect]

Damn.. Well I'm gonna go this morning... It looks like it's expanded, although it doesn't hurt near as much today and my muscle isn't as stiff... It's itchy.

I woulda liked my last question there answered, anyone? I'm just trying to figure out what to tell the doc

I generally do not recommend telling your doctor what you are doing unless something like this happens and you need to. They will be obligated to write that you are a steroid user in your file (ive seen it happen). In todays climate, he might as well write that you're a heroin user. If you're going to a clinic and not your regular doctor, its not going to matter anyhow....

holy

 

[papapumpsd]

No need to...the syringe is already sterile out of the pack...do not wipe it down with alcohol.

holy

Right! Don't tough the FU/CKING needle! If you think the needle needs to be sterilized w/alcohol, do NOT use it. These things come sterilized. And if you drop a needle/syringe, don't think you're some genius by wiping it down w/alcohol thus saving $.15. Not worth d!cking around with...really.

 

[Luck 6]

Alright.. It's official.. I'm infected haha..

Went to the doc and told him I caught my leg on a staple at work... He said it's a minor infection at this point and can be treated with anti-biotics... Prescribed me something, starts with a k, I've read it on here before in my searches so seems pretty standard.

Kind of annoying... I'm two weeks in and I've already had a damn seizure and an infected quad on my first cycle, just my luck...

I switch pins after drawing... Whipe down containers... Use different syringes each time... Whipe my spot down with alcohol... So I dunno?

One thing... The test itself in the amps not the vials... The rubber seal you stick your pin through each time, can bacteria get through there into the liquid? Should I be covering it with something?

And lastly, should I no longer utilise this injection site for the remainder of the cycle? Once the infections gone, is there a harm? Thanks.

 

[papapumpsd]

Alright.. It's official.. I'm infected haha..

Went to the doc and told him I caught my leg on a staple at work... He said it's a minor infection at this point and can be treated with anti-biotics... Prescribed me something, starts with a k, I've read it on here before in my searches so seems pretty standard.

Kind of annoying... I'm two weeks in and I've already had a damn seizure and an infected quad on my first cycle, just my luck...

I switch pins after drawing... Whipe down containers... Use different syringes each time... Whipe my spot down with alcohol... So I dunno?

One thing... The test itself in the amps not the vials... The rubber seal you stick your pin through each time, can bacteria get through there into the liquid? Should I be covering it with something?

And lastly, should I no longer utilise this injection site for the remainder of the cycle? Once the infections gone, is there a harm? Thanks.

Sucks you got an infection, but on the bright side you learned a lot and it's an 'easy fix' w/some 'biotics.

Here's my protocol for pinning (I use slin pins):
1) Wash hands
2) Dry hands w/ CLEAN PAPER towel (not the nasty 2-week old shower towel in your stinking bathroom)
3) Use alcohol prep pad to wipe down tops of vial(s) (I keep mine wrapped in aluminum foil and in the fridge....I have peptides, so that is why)
4) I use a fresh alcohol prep pad to wipe down the injection site. Use a circular motion, and starting from the center, work your way outward. Don't touch this spot w/anything but a clean alcohol prep pad and a sterile needle. Capeesh?
5) Without touching any surfaces, I then use a sterile syringe and draw from the vial(s) that have been disinfected w/alcohol.
6) Inject into cleaned area.


Another source of microbes is the solution you're injecting. Maybe it was prepared incorrectly? Maybe it was prepared sterile but dispensed into a nonsterile container/vial/etc?

Don't be sneezing on your needle, setting it down on a table, etc.

And yes, you can push microbes into vials. If you insert a needle through a rubber stopper you can introduce "bugs" in there. Fortunately, my peptides are reconned in bacteriostatic water which inhibits growth of bugs even if one got in my vial.

 

[Luck 6]

Well isn't that great for YOUR vials Haha... Jk... But seriously, what about my vials? haha

I've been switching the pin after drawing... I was thinking couldn't airborn bacteria enter the area before i put the injecting pin on? It may make more sense to just use the same pin.

 

[Steveoph]

I don't have any extensive knowledge in this area (Trauma this one's for you), but I hope the treatment for a minor injury (that you told him you got at a construction site etc) will be sufficient to deal with the infection that you caused with the needle.

 

[holyintellect]

props for getting it looked at...make sure it clears up and is gone...if it doesnt go away completely, make sure you get a follow up visit.

holy

 

[Trauma1]

Alright.. It's official.. I'm infected haha..

Went to the doc and told him I caught my leg on a staple at work... He said it's a minor infection at this point and can be treated with anti-biotics... Prescribed me something, starts with a k, I've read it on here before in my searches so seems pretty standard.

Kind of annoying... I'm two weeks in and I've already had a damn seizure and an infected quad on my first cycle, just my luck...

I switch pins after drawing... Whipe down containers... Use different syringes each time... Whipe my spot down with alcohol... So I dunno?

One thing... The test itself in the amps not the vials... The rubber seal you stick your pin through each time, can bacteria get through there into the liquid? Should I be covering it with something?

And lastly, should I no longer utilise this injection site for the remainder of the cycle? Once the infections gone, is there a harm? Thanks.

Sounds like a localized cellulitis (skin infection) from what you're saying. You were probably prescribed keflex, which is a broad spectrum cephalosporin that gives good coverage for most minor cellulitis issues.

Glad to hear you had this looked at. Make sure you're using aseptic (sterile) technique with all future injections.

Absolutely DO NOT use this injection site until your issue has completely resolved. Heed my advice here, as you can turn a simple infection into a major issue very quickly.

Good luck bud, i hope this clears up quickly for you.